Folding Forced Utopias for You

Extending a body of research on Indigenous architecture, Joar Nango will present a new site-specific work that responds to histories of forced resettlement in arctic communities. Focusing on case studies from Canada, Greenland and Russia, the exhibition examines how architecture has been used as a tool in the colonial project and the global politics of northern resource extraction and sovereignty.

Presented in partnership with The Royal Norwegian Embassy, with support from Sàmi Artist Council (SDR), Inuit PiusituKangit and iNuit Blanche, and Art Metropole.

Joar Nango is a Norwegian-Sàmi architect and artist based in Tromsø, Norway. He studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, and is currently teaching at the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art. Nango’s work aims “to explore the relationship between architecture, design and visual art, relating to questions of indigenous identity.” He has presented solo exhibitions at Gallery SAW, Ottawa, Canada (2013); Norwegian Sculpture Biennial, Oslo (2013); Knipsu, Bergen, Norway (2012); SDG, Karasjok, Norway (2011); and Raum der Junge Kunste, Berlin, Germany (2010). His work has also been included in group exhibitions at The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway (2013); Abbayes aux Dames, Caen, France (2013) and Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, NY, USA (2012).